Nowadays, there is a profusion of "instagrammy" places and restaurants around Metro Manila and Café Ysabel in San Juan is no exception to this. Its recent advertisement in the internet, however, has caught my attention informing the public that their more than three decades of journey in the restaurant industry will soon come to an end on the last day of July, 2017 , hence, the whole staff encourages their patrons for the past years to enjoy this gastronomic place in its farewell stint.
For 35 long years, this once a "neighborhood café" in San Juan has found its place in the Philippine Restaurant history and has made its laudable presence through the years with Chef Genie Gonzales steering the wheel. It started from a bitty restaurant along Wilson Street in Greenhills, San Juan, in a small section of the family's abode rented out by no less than Susan Roces and the former King of the Philippine Movies Fernando Poe, Jr. Like any other business ventures, the first few years has never been easy for Café Ysabel and it took Chef Genie Gonzales a 14-hour-a-day focus to get the smiles and praises of the restaurant's patrons and guests until it eventually emerged as a foodie mecca in San Juan for visiting tourists who were brought by their expatriate friends in Manila. Café Ysabel soon became a group of restaurants and found its home in an authentic 1902 ancestral house along P. Guevarra furnished with turn-of-the-century tables, chairs and lamps oozing with nostalgic and romantic effects.
We were there last Sunday, July 16, and the parking lot was full. Customers waited for vacant tables and chairs and all the food and beverage associates were on their toes. If ever Café Ysabel will close its doors to its clientele for any reason, one thing is for sure! Many food enthusiasts will definitely lour and pull a face! Café Ysabel will leave a gap especially for the Filipino-Italian-Spanish food connoisseurs and it will take time for somebody else to fill it up!
For me, I just wanted to say " Thank you Café Ysabel. I'd better start looking for a place next to you!"
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The front view of Café Ysabel
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The door leading to the restaurant
There's something at Café Ysabel that will make you want to chill and stay longer.
Most probably, it is the old Spanish-Filipino set up that creates
a nostalgic ambiance coupled with mysticism and romance.
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The interiors of Café Ysabel will bring you back
somewhere in time. While sitting on this chair,
I felt like looking for certain characters during
those bygone era!
Crunchy Asparagus with Tagaytay greens Salad in vinaigrette coupled with
freshly-baked ciabatta bread dipped in balsamic vinegar
with olive oil gave us a real good start!
Our al dente Pasta Putanesca with lots of mushrooms, black olives, capers and sun-dried tomatoes
satiated our cravings for something Italian that day!
The desserts at Café Ysabel are like magnets that will attract you
and will keep you coming back for more. The strawberry
shortcake is their best seller. But don't forget to try
their mango crepe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It's heavenly!
The cake shop for the quick cake orders.
I love this spot in particular at Café Ysabel. The relaxing view of the garden
through the glass windows and the scrumptious food served before you
truly make a perfect combination to make my day!
It's coffee time but . . . thank you! I don't drink coffee!
It's time to go but wait.... allow us to have this souvenir shot
on the side stairs.
The balcony and the view of the garden
My souvenir shot at the stairs
Could this be my last photo here at Café Ysabel? If it closes by the end of July, 2017,
definitely, this will be!
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